An Alan Smithee Present

So when we got home from some errands today, one of Jenn's Christmas presents was sitting in a padded envelope in the mailbox, with a very distinct return address. I saw it just as she got to the box, so there was nothing I could do.

I was a bit surprised by this, as I've very specifically had everything shipped to the office. It seems when they folded the receipt so the address showed through the packing slip, they left my billing address visible, not the shipping one. Grr.

Jenn claims to "not remember" where it was from, but I'm not falling for that one. Used that trick myself when I was sixteen years old, and my girlfriend just plain told me over the phone what she got me. It took a good 10 minutes of "Huh? What did you say?" before she believed I didn't hear. And even then, I imagine it was only because she really wanted to believe.

Anyway, this present has been completely ruined for me, so I signed the gift tag "Alan Smithee." I realize I'm pouting like a child, but hey, it's Christmas -- if you can't act like a child then, when can you?

On a completely unrelated note, I'd just like to point out that a few years ago I got winded walking from my car into my office. Today I walked 3.2 miles in 45 minutes (just walking -- it's a crosstraining day) and was able to go on with my day as if I'd spent that time lying on the couch. It's nice.

According to one study, nearly 1/3 of stroke victims are under age 65.

Let me get the Perl hook in at this point -- I'm
offering to double-match any donations I receive through this posting. For instance, if you donate $50 through
the secure link at the URL above, I will donate
an additional $50 to the ASA, plus another $50
to the Perl Foundation (up to $600 total donation on my part).

I should also note that if you itemize on your
tax return, the donation is deductible.

So, why are we doing this? In part it's because
we wanted a structured program to get in better
shape, honestly. But the research the ASA is doing is very important, most of all.

My family lost my Aunt Janet to stroke when she was still in her thirties. I was a small child at the time, and my only memories of her are fragments of a trip we took to her house in Michigan a year or two before she died.

Her being exasperated as my first shot at the
mini-golf course skipped out of play and in to
the parking lot.

Her being exasperated as my misinterpretation
of her shower instructions resulted in the bath
mat in the shower, and a flooded bathroom.

Her being exasperated as I finished a
McDonald's hamburger (a feat for me in those days) only to promptly throw it back up after gagging
on a stray onion (still don't like those) that was
in the last bite.

As you can see, I was pretty exasperating
in those days. I'd like to think I'm not now, and I wish she were here to see that.

The point is, given the statistics, every day there are a bunch of little kids like I was, suffering similar losses. I can't help my Aunt; I can try to help others. So that's why I'm here asking for money.

Movin' Out

We saw the National Tour of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out" tonight.

It takes 20-some Billy Joel songs from throughout the years and pieces them together to tell the story of 5 friends from high school through the Vietnam War and its aftermath.

The production is done on 2 levels, literally: a band above the stage that does all the singing, and dancers on the stage that act out scenes without dialogue. The dancing is heavily influenced by ballet, though there were 2-3 breakdancing moves that I happened to catch, including the backspin.:)

I generally dislike musicals that have no dialogue, and the format of "Movin' Out" definitely takes some getting used to. It also took me a while to adjust to someone other than Billy Joel singing songs that were so familiar to me. Nevertheless, I was hooked within the first 20 minutes, and can definitely recommend this musical to others, especially if you happen to be a Joel fan. Just make sure to read the Act summaries in the program, and you'll follow along just fine.